Breathing for Health
THE MAN WHO BREATHES TO HIS TOES WILL
LIVE TO BE 100 YEARS OLD.
- CHINESE SAYING
Deep Breathing & Our Health
Deep breathing can have a powerful influence on our health. To understand how this is possible, we need to remember that the diaphragm is attached all around the lower ribcage and has strands going down to the lumbar vertebrae. When our breathing is full and deep, 1) the diaphragm moves through its entire range downward to massage the liver, stomach, and other organs and tissues below it, and upward to massage the heart; and 2) the belly, lower ribcage, and lower back all expand on inhalation, thus drawing the diaphragm down deeper into the abdomen, and retracts on exhalation, allowing the diaphragm to move fully upward toward the heart.
In deep, abdominal breathing, the downward and upward movements of the diaphragm, combined with the outward and inward movements of the belly, ribcage, and lower back, help to massage and detoxify our inner organs, promote blood flow and peristalsis, and pump the lymph more efficiently through our lymphatic system. The lymphatic system, which is an important part of our immune system, has no pump other than muscular movements, including the movements of breathing.
Meditation and controlled breathing go hand-in-hand, but it can be done without the necessary setting for meditation. You can do controlled breathing at any time, while waiting, walking, sitting, watching television, or just before you close your eyes to sleep. You just have to remember to practice during times of opportunity, which is best accomplished if you have a "symbol of practice,” e.g., a necklace, bracelet or some other object. So keep the necklace visible, a reminder to breath slow and deep, like on your coffee table or work desk when you are not actively using it.
If you practice this regularly, your normal breathing can be much slower and deeper, and you will feel more relaxed. Another benefit is that you might notice that your thinking is clearer because all of that good oxygen is circulating around your brain!!!
Mala Beads
When I was learning about Meditation at the Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper NY, I bought a set of Mala Beads that are sometimes referred to as "The Breath of Health Necklace." There are 108 beads total in the one I got with a string divider in the middle of it all. The beads are used to count breaths, one bead for each breath (one breath equals one inhale and one exhale). The divider is used as a reference point for the beginning and end of the exercise.
The Goal
At the start of each session make note of the time. By keeping track of the time and the number of beads you moved through during a session you can calculate the number of breaths per minute. Normal breathing is shallow and about 18 to 20 breaths per minute. Deep abdominal breathing will reduce the number of breaths per minute and increase the oxygen throughout your system. So if you build up to being able to take two breaths of air each minute you would be circling the necklace in 30 minutes.
The Exercise
To begin, place your thumb on the first bead next to the divider at the top of the necklace. Take in a breath, slowly filling up the lower lungs allowing your stomach to expand to its fullest. Then slowly breath out all the air while retracting your stomach. This is a count of one. As you begin your next breath move your thumb to the second bead and hold it there until after you exhale. This is count two. As you begin to inhale again move your thumb to the third bead. Continue this method until you are finished with the session. The session could last a certain number of minutes, or the complete loop of the necklace or longer, depending on the available time you have when you start the session.
Tracking Your Progress
When you to practice this type of breathing exercise, you will find that just by keeping track of the number of beads (breaths) and the time, you will be able 1) to see your progress towards slower and deeper diaphragmatic breathing; and 2) you will be able to keep track of the number of diaphragmatic breaths you complete The goal here would be to increase the number of breaths per session. After regular sessions for several months you will start to breath deeper even when not exercising.
Why is Breathing So Important?
Good Old O2 (Oxygen)
Oxygen plays a vital role in the circulatory and respiratory systems. As we breathe, oxygen that is inhaled purifies our blood by removing poisonous waste products circulating throughout our blood systems. Irregular breathing will hamper this purification process and cause waste products to remain in circulation. Digestion will then become irregular, leaving tissues and organs undernourished. Improper oxygen consumption will thus ultimately lead to fatigue and heightened anxiety states. The irregular breathing elicited during stressful situations not only makes the situations hard to cope with but also contributes to a general deterioration of health. By the careful control of our breathing pattern, we may not only rejuvenate our systems but also counter the unhealthy effects of stress.